Bill Text: CA ACR67 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: State highways: special designations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-09-02 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 141, Statutes of 2014. [ACR67 Detail]
Download: California-2013-ACR67-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 67 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 141
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 2, 2014
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 14, 2014
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 18, 2014
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 25, 2014
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 12, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Alejo
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Stone)
(Coauthor: Senator DeSaulnier)
JUNE 24, 2013
Relative to highways.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 67, Alejo. State highways: special designations.
This measure would designate portions of State Highway Routes 1,
129, and 101 in the Counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz as the John
Steinbeck Highway, the Senator Henry J. Mello Highway, the Oscar Rios
Highway, and the Gateway to the Pinnacles Highway.
This measure would also designate the interchange at Interstate
680 and Highway 24 in Contra Costa County as the CHP Officer Kenyon
Youngstrom Memorial Interchange.
The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to
determine the cost of appropriate signs showing each of these
special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources covering the cost of the signs for which the donations were
made, to erect those signs.
WHEREAS, John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr., was born on February 27, 1902,
in Salinas, California, and is one of the most influential and
memorable American authors of the 20th century; and
WHEREAS, John Steinbeck's work has attracted people from around
the world to visit the central coast of California, the Monterey Bay,
and the Salinas Valley in which many of his works are set; and
WHEREAS, John Steinbeck has brought fame and honor to the United
States as a distinguished writer whose fiction is representative of
the vitality and unique qualities of the American people; and
WHEREAS, John Steinbeck's writing is known for its keen perception
of the times, which has helped shed light on some of the economic
and social problems of migrant workers in rural America; and
WHEREAS, John Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940,
the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, and the United States Medal
of Freedom in 1964 for his cultural contributions as a novelist,
journalist, historian, and social commentator; and
WHEREAS, John Steinbeck's widely celebrated literary works include
16 novels, a collection of short stories, four screenplays, various
journalistic essays, three travel narratives, a translation, and two
published journals; and
WHEREAS, State Senator Henry J. Mello, born and raised in
Watsonville, was the son of Portuguese immigrant parents, and
attended Watsonville High School in Watsonville and Hartnell College
in Salinas; and
WHEREAS, In the 1940s, Henry Mello helped start the Mello Packing
Company, a family apple business, and became involved in public
service as a member of the California Agricultural Advisory Board;
and
WHEREAS, Henry Mello was elected as a Santa Cruz County supervisor
in 1966, to the Assembly in 1976, and to the Senate in 1980, and
represented the Counties of Santa Cruz and San Benito, as well as
parts of the Counties of Monterey and Santa Clara in the Legislature
until 1996; and
WHEREAS, Henry Mello quickly rose to leadership positions by his
appointment to the Senate Rules Committee and his election as
Majority Whip and later as Majority Leader, and authored 726 bills,
of which 456 were signed into law, with 120 of those bills focused on
senior issues; and
WHEREAS, Henry Mello was proud of his creation of the California
Senior Legislature and authorship of legislation dealing with
Alzheimers, including bills on respite care, adult day health care,
and prevention of senior abuse; and
WHEREAS, Henry Mello was known by his colleagues as a tough
negotiator and for his dedication to his district and constituents;
and
WHEREAS, After leaving the Senate, Henry Mello worked with the
Department of Transportation to prioritize the construction of one of
the most important projects within the state highway system, an
overpass to improve traffic safety on the dangerous intersection of
State Highway Route 1 and Salinas Road; and
WHEREAS, Henry Mello's legacy in the Pajaro Valley and California
will forever be remembered; and
WHEREAS, Oscar Rios was born in El Salvador in 1950, and in 1960
his family emigrated to San Francisco, where he became a United
States citizen, later moving to Watsonville in 1985; and
WHEREAS, Oscar Rios became the regional organizer for La Alianza,
a nonprofit agency that provides advocacy referral and citizenship
processing, and was an organizer during the Watsonville cannery
strikes that lasted from 1985 to 1987, the longest cannery strikes in
United States history, and that were led primarily by women cannery
workers; and
WHEREAS, In 1989, Oscar Rios was elected to the Watsonville City
Council just after the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck
down Watsonville's discriminatory at-large election system and
implemented district elections in the landmark federal voting rights
case of Gomez v. City of Watsonville; and
WHEREAS, When Oscar Rios became Watsonville's mayor in 1992, he
became the first mayor of any United States city of Salvadorean
descent, and quickly earned a reputation as an energetic and
accessible leader, and he became a founding member of the Latino
Caucus of the League of California Cities; and
WHEREAS, Oscar Rios worked to build a successful partnership with
Watsonville's local school district, resulting in the creation of
more parks and playgrounds, and also worked with Watsonville's
business community to create hundreds of new jobs; and
WHEREAS, Oscar Rios led voter registration drives through the
Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and worked on numerous
campaigns to get other Latinos elected to political office, and
continues to organize for Latino empowerment locally and statewide;
and
WHEREAS, Oscar Rios served 17 years on the Watsonville City
Council and is the longest serving Latino city councilmember in the
history of the County of Santa Cruz, having retired from the council
on December 11, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Oscar Rios continues to be employed as a Teamster Union
Business Agent for Local 890 in Salinas; and
WHEREAS, The City of Soledad is the "Gateway to the Pinnacles,"
located only five miles from Pinnacles National Park, which became
the nation's 59th National Park on January 10, 2013, by an act of
Congress signed into law by President Barack Obama; and
WHEREAS, The City of Soledad is also located near the Spanish
Mission Nuestra Seņora de la Soledad (the Mission of Our Lady of
Solitude), founded on October 9, 1791, as the 13th of 21 missions in
California; and
WHEREAS, The City of Soledad is a great destination for tourists,
located in one of the primary wine grape growing regions of
California, with over 20 vineyards and wineries within a 30-mile
radius; and
WHEREAS, California Highway Patrol Officer Kenyon Marc Youngstrom
made the ultimate sacrifice while performing his sworn duty, and in
recognition thereof, we pay special tribute to his bravery and
dedication; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom was born on October 8, 1974, in
Pasadena, California; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom graduated from Arlington High School
in Riverside in 1993, and attended California Baptist University in
Riverside, California as well as Napa Valley College in Napa,
California; and
WHEREAS, From a young age, Officer Youngstrom recognized the
importance of public service and was known as a hard worker who
always gave back to his community; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom served as a member of the United
States Army Reserve for six years, achieving the rank of an E-4
Specialist; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom entered the California Highway Patrol
Academy in August of 2005 and graduated in February of 2006 (badge
number 18063), and was initially assigned to the Contra Costa County
area; and
WHEREAS, After serving approximately three years in the Contra
Costa County area, Officer Youngstrom voluntarily transferred to the
Golden Gate Division as a member of the Field Support Unit, where he
served as a distinguished member of the Protective Services Detail,
responsible for providing protection to various dignitaries, heads of
state, legislators, and other VIP's visiting the San Francisco Bay
Area; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom transferred back to the Contra Costa
County area in August of 2012, where he spent the remainder of his
career; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom performed several duties over the
course of his career and, because of his exceptional skills as an
officer, he served as a mentor and recruiter for new officers, as
well as a RADAR and LIDAR instructor; and
WHEREAS, On September 4, 2012, Officer Youngstrom was assisting a
fellow officer with an enforcement stop on Interstate 680 and was
critically shot by the driver of the stopped vehicle. Unfortunately,
he passed away the following day at the John Muir Medical Center in
Walnut Creek, California; and
WHEREAS, Upon his death, Officer Youngstrom gave the gift of life
through organ and tissue donation, helping to save the lives of four
individuals; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom was a man of family and faith, and was
a member of the Community Bible Church in Vallejo, California; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom is survived by his wife, Karen, four
children, Alexander, Madison, Andrew, and Kennedy, his parents,
Gaylord and Jill Youngstrom, four brothers, and a sister; and
WHEREAS, As a father, Officer Youngstrom leaves behind a legacy,
instilled in his children, of a sense of respect and dignity; and
WHEREAS, Officer Youngstrom is admired for his professionalism,
dedication, honesty, loyalty, respect, and courage; and
WHEREAS, Through adoption of Senate Concurrent Resolution 43
(Resolution Chapter 98 of the Statutes of 2013), the Legislature
designated the State Highway Route 680 undercrossing at Livorna Road
below Bridge No. 28-191 in Contra Costa County in Officer Youngstrom'
s memory; and
WHEREAS, The Legislature desires, instead, to designate the
Interstate 680 and Highway 24 Interchange in Contra Costa County in
Officer Youngstrom's memory; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
portion of State Highway Route 1 from the Pajaro River to Struve
Road, including the new Salinas Road overcrossing, in the County of
Monterey, as the Senator Henry J. Mello Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of
State Highway Route 129 from Blackburn Street to the junction with
State Highway Route 1 at Riverside Drive in the City of Watsonville
as the Oscar Rios Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of
State Highway Route 101 from the Espinosa Road/Russell Road
undercrossing to John Street in the City of Salinas as the John
Steinbeck Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of
State Highway Route 101 from Exit 305 at Camphora Gloria Road to Exit
301 at Arroyo Seco Road in the County of Monterey as the Gateway to
the Pinnacles Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the interchange
at Interstate 680 and Highway 24 in Contra Costa County as the CHP
Officer Kenyon Youngstrom Memorial Interchange; and be it further
Resolved, That the designation made by Senate Concurrent
Resolution 43 (Resolution Chapter 98 of the Statutes of 2013) is
hereby rescinded; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the signing
requirements for the state highway system for each of these special
designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources
sufficient to cover the cost of the signs for which the donations
were made, to erect those signs; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
for appropriate distribution.
